28 May 2011

WATCH: GA Rep. Rashad Taylor's Emotional Coming Out Speech

PHOTO: AJC

Georgia State Rep. Rashad Taylor announced on Friday that he is gay. Taylor becomes one of the very few Black openly gay male state legislators in the country. "Taylor becomes the first openly gay male serving in the Georgia legislature and the third openly gay state lawmaker," reports the GA Voice.

Taylor was outed in dozens of emails to legislators and statehouse staff, accused of misusing his office and trading jobs for sex. Taylor denied the allegations.

"The gentleman who wrote the email was the former partner of the person I'm now seeing. He hoped he would humiliate and embarrass me by sending this email. ... This is not the time or the way that I wanted to come out, I feel actually very lucky, thanks to all the support that I've received from those people who are closest to me...As a black man, it can be a struggle to find acceptance within the community and at times with myself as well. But I'm proud of the man my mother has raised, and I make no apologies for who I am.

The man behind the email campaign, Jermaine Callahan, admits there is "no" proof to authenticate his claims and that he was "only repeating secondhand stories," reports WSB.

Taylor blasted Callahan: "I find it absolutely reprehensible and disgusting that another member of this community would use these types of tactics of fear and intimidation and would embrace this backward and frankly hurtful attitude that to be gay is to have a horrible secret."

Rashad Taylor also said that he only came out to his mother within the past 48 hours. Congrats. Via the GAVoice, watch the video WHEN YOU JUMP ...

It is a shame that queens can be so dirty and vicious but look at how he made lemons out of lemon-aid. Congrats. I hope MORE of us come out the closet. Strength comes in numbers and we need to SHUT down the Eddie Longs and other hypocrites who do their best to make life hard for us.